


sometimes, you need reading glasses to see

by BeesKnees



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Aging, Chris and Leon are aging super gracefully, M/M, Piers Nivans Lives, Piers and Leon are married, Piers finally got his man and isn't about to lose him, Retirement, a little cracky, today's gossip brought to you by the Redfields
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24261022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeesKnees/pseuds/BeesKnees
Summary: “I'm telling you,” Chris says again, stubbornly. “Leon isn't going to choose to retire.”“Oh, Chris,” Claire says, smiling at him as if she pities him. “You've forgotten one very important factor: Piers.”
Relationships: Leon S. Kennedy/Piers Nivans
Comments: 10
Kudos: 39





	sometimes, you need reading glasses to see

“Leon's going to retire.” 

“Shut the fuck up.”

Across his desk, Claire pauses in eating her lunch and presses a hand against her heart as though she's wounded. If they were a little younger, Chris would probably get an impassioned speech about how dare he speak like that to her, his darling baby sister, whose innocent ears had never been abused by such rhetoric.

“Sorry,” Chris says, clears his throat, and with a wry grins amends, “That's utter bullshit.”

“Why's that?” Claire asks with a raised eyebrow.

Chris just gestures with his hand, as if his point is so implicit that he simply doesn't need to say it out loud.

“Leon wouldn't know what to do with himself if he retired,” Chris says finally. 

“You projecting?” Claire leers.

“I'm _not_ \--” Chris starts to protest.

“I'm not retired,” Claire finishes for him in a mocking voice. “Yes, we all know. You just don't go into the field anymore or do physical training. You haven't stopped doing all the parts of your job that you're too _old_ for in exchange for easier, honorary things.” Claire tuts. “That's not retirement at all – or at least the start of it.” 

“You are not that much younger than Leon,” Chris points out defensively.

“Yeah, and I'm not trying to run around like I'm 21 without eating or sleeping for a week on end and expecting my body to be at peak physical performance after getting thrown around like a ragdoll for all of my adult life,” Claire says. “And I've accepted that I need reading glasses, _Christopher_.” 

Chris scowls at the parting shot. 

“I'm telling you,” he says again, stubbornly. “Leon isn't going to choose to retire.”

“Oh, Chris,” Claire says, smiling at him as if she pities him. “You've forgotten one very important factor: Piers.”

“Piers gets why it's important to fight, why you still need it,” Chris says.

“ _Piers_ gets why he likes being married,” Claire corrects. “And particularly to Leon. Piers would still like Leon to be around by the time he gets ready to retire himself.” She takes a big bite of her sandwich. “You didn't see him when we were in the hospital on his birthday. He was pissed.” 

Chris shifts uncomfortably in his chair, knowing that Claire might really have a point there. They'd planned a massive party for Piers' 40th birthday. Leon had been called out on a very simple mission and was supposed to be back with plenty of time. Instead, the morning of, Piers had gotten a phone call that Leon was in a hospital in D.C., having blown out his knee after jumping out of an exploding building. 

The entire BSAA had been party to Piers' half of his conversation, during which Piers had initially gone pale at hearing that there _was_ a call for him from the DSO, been relieved at finding out that Leon was alive and mostly in one piece, and then been livid by the time Leon actually got on the line. (“ _You are fucking 50 years old. Why were you_ even _in that building. You had a team of five agents with you!”_ ) Piers had tried to spare Leon's dignity by whispering. Everyone had still heard. He'd scared the shit out of the rookies who knew better than to disobey Captain Nivans to begin with.

“No,” Chris settles back on.

“All right,” Claire says. She wipes her hand off on her jeans and holds it across the desk to Chris. “I bet you a steak dinner – _good_ steak dinner – that within six months of today you get a press release from the DSO announcing Agent Leon S. Kennedy's retirement -- at least from field work.” 

“You're on,” Chris says, shaking her hand.

…

“Oh, Chris,” Jill says when she finds out. She looks sad for him. “How have you known Claire for so long and not know not to take a bet against her? Especially about _Leon_?”

…

Three months later, the press release comes. A month after, Chris is in D.C. wearing a suit at a gala in Leon's honor. 

“You couldn't have held off on retiring one more year?” Chris mutters under his breath as he and Leon grab tiny appetizers. 

“You haven't seen the face that Piers gives me when my knee pops,” Leon mutters back. It really is a shame, Chris thinks. Because he would love to give master-of-stealth Leon Kennedy shit about the fact that he can no longer walk without his knee cracking, but Piers has driven home what a danger that is for Leon. It's really taken the fun out of any potential teasing. 

Claire makes sure that Chris has his reading glasses before he goes up to give his speech.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the LLF Comment Project, which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> \-- Short comments  
> \-- Long comments  
> \-- Questions  
> \-- “<3” as extra kudos  
> \-- Reader-reader interaction
> 
> This author replies to comments.
> 
> shout at me on [tumblr](https://kneesofthebee.tumblr.com/)


End file.
